From Exploit to Endearment
by maximumpotter
Summary: Max has been a victim of sex trafficking for the majority of her life. When Fang's dad gets him Max as a birthday present, he doesn't use her as his slave – he falls in love with her.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is very different from my other two. I decided to try this out... Just to let you know, it's rated M because of the premise and because there'll be some sex, but it's not going to be all lemons. Maybe a couple... But I've never tried writing one before and I'm not sure how that'll go or if I even want to. I'm really more focused on the plot line than the sexy stuff. Thank you for reading! **

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**MAX POV**

I woke up to an empty bed. Thank _God_.

You see, I'm not like most girls. I don't mean that in the "I'm quirky and fun and you should date me" way, I mean that I'm in the slave trade. Believe it or not, that still exists in America.

I'm actually one of the lucky ones. I'm Adam's favorite, his most prized possession. He's what you might call a pimp or whatever; he runs this whole deal, sending his men off to snatch up some unlucky girls so that he can sell them off. Some of them were kidnapped when they were very young, like I was, but most of them are runaways, as they're the easiest targets. Most of the girls around here are treated really brutally: raped daily, beaten, and starved. He does this to break them, to assure they'll be cooperative. I, however, am a special case.

I've pretty much always been very well behaved, aside from when they first brought me here at age nine, because I'm used to it. I don't have any reason to have hope of escaping this place, and resisting just for the hell of it would be of no benefit to me. So I put up with it. Since I've been kept healthy all these years as a reward for my good behavior, supposed attractiveness, and "talents," I'm like Adam's little pet. I'm apparently more expensive than any other girl here, and considering that this is already geared toward a very wealthy crowd, whoever ends up with me will be forking over some serious dough. I've been on sale for a few years now, longer than anyone else. And as long as I have lots of sex with Adam and tell him I love him back, he won't have a problem with that.

I'm not sure whether I want to be sold or not. I've gotten used to life here, and even though it's not great by any means, it's not that painful. I don't know whether or not a man who would buy me would treat me the same way. On the other hand, I'd really like a change of scenery. I mean, I never leave this place.

The sound of the door opening brought me out of my thoughts. Adam walked across his luxurious bedroom to come sit next to me.

"Baby," he breathed, seeming a bit upset. He climbed onto the bed and then on top of me. We kissed for a while, more passionately than usual.

He pulled back and stared at me for a moment. "Someone's interested in taking you, and he's visiting in a couple of hours," he told me anxiously.

I frowned. "You think he's serious?"

"Yeah, he's already positive he wants you, actually. He's got the money for it, and I could really use it..." he trailed off.

I just gaped back at him, at a loss for words.

The worry in his eyes quickly turned to lust. "I need to fuck you one more time before you leave."

He started kissing me roughly again. Let me get this straight: just because Adam treats me better than the other girls and says he's in love with me doesn't mean that he's treating me like a princess or anything. I still got small food rations, just not to the point where I was starving. As much as he called me his "love," he still called me "his little bitch" more often. And he wanted to have sex, like, all the time. The feeling was not mutual.

A couple of hours later, after we had finished, the man came in to see me. He was tall with olive skin and short, dark hair, and his piercing black eyes were stunningly beautiful. He was attractive, but he still had a sinister air about him.

"She's sixteen, you said?" the man asked Adam.

"Yes, she's very young and very experienced. And, obviously, very attractive."

You'd expect me to blush, but I was used to this kind of talk by now. I didn't feel flattered by it at all. I didn't really care about their opinions.

"Ah, my son is turning seventeen today. She'll be his birthday present," the man explained with a chuckle. I tried to remember if I had ever seen a teenaged boy in person before.

"Same price as you said earlier?" he asked. Adam nodded.

The man reached out to shake his hand. "I'll take her. Pleasure doing business with you, sir."

Adam looked at me and hesitated. He looked like he wanted to hug me goodbye or something, but it appears his forty-year-old rich pimp ego got in the way of that. He settled for a nod at me instead. All these years, and just a nod...

And with that, we left. Whatever paperwork they had to deal with had already been settled, it appeared. It felt so strange to walk away, knowing I'd probably never see the place again.

The man led me to a big, black, shiny car with super tinted windows. There was a driver waiting for him inside already. He led me to the backseat and then sat in the passenger's seat himself. The car ride was a long, quiet three hours. The driver didn't utter a word, the man typed away on his cellphone most of the way and took a couple of calls, and I was just staring out the window silently, enjoying the scenery that I hadn't seen in seven years.

* * *

**FANG POV**

It's my birthday. I'm seventeen.

As a seventeen-year-old boy, you'd probably expect me to go out partying tonight with all of my friends and go crazy. That would make perfect sense... If I had friends.

My dad's involved with the mob or mafia or whatever, he still won't tell me exactly what, and because of that, I was isolated from most of the other teenagers on the planet. We lived in an exclusive area with huge, white mansions sprinkled on the scenic cliff sides. I could see the beach from my bedroom window. This was supposed to be "living the dream."

But I'd rather live in a little apartment and be allowed to have lots of friends and do regular high school things. I'd give up the family money I'd surely inherit someday and my Malibu home in exchange for a normal life. I was only allowed to see my brother, his wife and kids, Ella, Iggy, and Nudge. They'd been my best friends since back when I went to elementary school. I switched to homeschooling in sixth grade as my dad was getting into riskier situations.

My dad... We're not close. He's almost never around, and when he is, he doesn't treat me like a son. My mother died when I was two, and I don't remember her, so I've basically been raised by the maids that live in my house. Their names are Maria and Rachel, and I care for them very much.

So, yeah, it's my seventeenth birthday, and I haven't seen my father all day. I don't know why I expected any more of him.

It wasn't long before he came home, though. And he had someone with him...?

"Happy birthday, Nicholas!" he called as he walked in. "Come sit down."

I sat on the couch across from him. "Thanks, Dad."

He looked me over for a moment, smiling. "You've really grown, son. You're a true man now."

I nodded uncomfortably. It's not like my dad and I had little heart-to-hearts like this every day. Or every week. Or every year.

"When you turn eighteen, I want you to get involved in the business. You and I will be great together... I know you've expressed some hesitation to join me, so I figured I'd give you a little taste of the life now. You'll love it."

"Uh, okay... What exactly am I gonna do?" I asked.

"Well, there are a lot of perks to being who I am: money, power, drugs, sex... I can't give you money or power if you aren't working yet, and I figured you wouldn't go for the drugs just yet, so I figured I'd get you the sex. You're a teenage boy, after all," he chuckled.

"How?" I asked slowly. I was pretty uneasy, as the last thing I wanted my dad to be involved in was my sex life.

"She's yours, Nicholas," he answered, gesturing toward the girl and grinning. "She'll do whatever you want her to."

"You mean..."

"I mean, if you want her to strip, or to blow you, or if you just want to fuck her... She'll do it on command. Whatever, whenever. She's like your sex slave; I'm sure you've fantasized about that just like any other man. It's real for you, if you're a man like me."

"Uhh..." was all I could say. I kept my cool exterior, but I was actually pretty mortified.

My father chuckled. "Why don't you go take her for a test drive, huh? I got you the best girl they had," he bragged.

"Thanks, Dad," I managed. He gave me a sort of bro handshake (that we've never done before, by the way) before responding.

"Go have fun."

We walked into my room awkwardly. I could feel myself blushing and looked down in an attempt to hide it. "Um... Hi."

"Hi," she responded, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"I'm Nick," I informed her quietly. Let me just throw this out there: I'm a virgin.

"I'm Max," she replied.

I sat down on my bed. She, of course, took that as her cue to climb on my lap and start making out with me.

She was really hot, I couldn't deny that. And I was really attracted to her. But I totally wasn't down with the whole "sex slave" thing. It felt so... Wrong.

I kissed her back for a minute, as it was my first kiss in a very long time and I was completely intoxicated by it, but then I pushed her away. She looked confused.

"Sorry, of course that's not what you wanted. Oh, God, sorry," she apologized nervously. Then she got down on her knees in front of me.

"No, no!" I stopped her as she reached for my zipper. "No... You didn't do anything wrong. This is just weird for me..."

She sat on the floor, seeming confused.

"I don't really know why my dad brought you here or why he thought I'd want this," I confessed, rubbing my neck.

She looked a little hurt by that. "No, I don't mean it that way!" I backtracked. "I don't mind you being here at all, it's just... Random, that's all."

She picked at my carpet. "So... What do you want me to do?" she asked quietly, looking at the floor instead of at me.

"Just... You can just sit on the bed with me or whatever. Be comfortable. We can watch TV or something, don't worry..." I rambled.

"Okay," she agreed warily, and she came up and sat next to me.

I handed her the remote awkwardly. "You can watch whatever you want," I offered.

She looked confused again. "Uh..."

"Really, I don't mind," I assured her.

She nodded. "But, uh... How do you work it?"

I gaped at her for a moment. She didn't know how to use a TV?

"Press this button to turn it on... Then press this one to look at all the stuff that's playing. Then pick one by pressing this," I explained. She nodded tentatively.

She slowly read through the guide, seeming like she had never done this before. After about five minutes of browsing, she settled on some kind of Discovery Channel program about sea life. She was fascinated, and it was adorable.

"Did you hear how big they said the whale is?!" she asked me, shocked. "How is that even possible?"

I chuckled at her. "I know, they're huge."

I was already becoming more comfortable with her. She seemed like a really sweet girl, she was about my age, and she was never treated the way she deserved to be. I decided then that I was gonna change that.

I glanced at her as they were talking about bioluminescence. She was enthralled by the bright jellyfish and their contrast to the deep, black part of the ocean.

"Are these real, Nick?" she asked softly in awe. "Or is all this stuff, like, fiction or whatever it's called? Between the whale and the glowing fish, I'm not buying it..." she added skeptically.

I laughed at how cute she was being. "Yeah, they're real. I'll take you to an aquarium sometime, maybe. Would you wanna do that?"

"What exactly is that again?" she asked, seeming embarrassed.

"It's where they get lots of fish and stuff and put them in these huge fish tanks so we can look at them," I explained. "There's a really awesome one up in Monterey—one of the best in the world, actually—and they have jellyfish, and those colorful tropical fish, and penguins, and otters, and they have these pools where you can touch starfish and sea cucumbers... Remember they were talking about those earlier?"

She nodded eagerly. I smiled. "I'll definitely take you sometime. It'll be super fun."

I've known this girl for about two hours, and I already feel close to her. I'm such a creeper. And I'm assuming that she'll even want to stay here... Well, is it even her choice? I frowned slightly at how screwed up that was. I hated feeling like some kind of slave owner, and I hated the idea she probably had of me... I'm sure she expected me to use her, to hurt her.

I changed the subject, as much as I was enjoying our happy discussion. "Max..." I began uncomfortably. "I'm never going to hurt you, okay? I'm not going to make you do anything for me, I'm not going to try to get you to have sex with me, and I'm not going to act like I'm the boss of you, either. I don't really want to send you back to wherever you came from, because I figure it was worse there, but I don't want some girl to use for sex. It's just... Not me."

Noticing her ashamed expression, I continued. "Not that you aren't super pretty or anything... It's not that I don't want to have sex with you... Well, I don't, but that's 'cause I don't want to with anybody... And if I did want to have sex with anyone, I'd want to have sex with you, I think, because you're really pretty and nice and I like you, so..." I rambled, getting more and more flustered. I blushed, feeling like a complete idiot.

She gave me a small smile, seeming amused, and leaned up to kiss my cheek. "You're very sweet. I like you a lot."

That's all it took to make me blush again. I was totally falling for this girl, and our relationship was already really wrong, but she was perfect and she thought I was sweet, and she liked me... A lot. I smiled back, feeling more satisfied than I had in long time.

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**Hmmm. I don't know how I feel about this, or whether I should even keep this up or not. Feedback would be greatly appreciated :) review! Thanks!**

**P.S. I didn't really revise this because it's the middle of the night and I'm tired and I don't feel like it so if there are errors please let me know and I'm sorry!**


	2. Chapter 2

**ATTENTION: READ THIS FIRST**

I changed the first chapter a bit. Well, just from when Fang's POV starts to right before he brings her upstairs. I wish I had slowed it down a whole lot more than that, but I figured there was only so much backtracking I could do. Soooo just reread that part really quick if you're here because you got an alert for a new chapter.

Thanks for reading :-)

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"Do you have extra clothes? We can buy you some, but do you want to borrow my stuff for pajamas?" Nick asked.

"I have a little bit of clothes, but most of it's lingerie..." He got all uncomfortable again. It was quite funny. "I have a couple shirts and a pair of shorts, and then the jeans and shirt and jacket I'm wearing right now... So can I borrow something for sleeping?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course," he replied. Anything sex-related seemed to really unnerve him. Great.

He got me a black T-shirt that was way too big for me and a pair of black basketball shorts. Judging from what I'd seen of his clothes so far, the kid seemed to like black.

I freaked him out yet again when I got changed right in front of him. He tried and failed not to show it. He seemed pretty good at the whole emotionless mask thing, but it didn't work at all with the sex stuff. My job is supposed to be... to have sex with him. I'm fine with him not wanting that, but he needs to chill.

"I'll– I'll sleep on the floor for now," he stuttered. "It's fine. We can get another bed if–"

"No... It's fine, you can sleep on the bed... I mean, if you don't want to share with me, I get it, but–"

"No! No, that's fine. Okay," he concluded.

Awkward.

We slid under the covers together. It was just after midnight, and I was pretty wiped. Learning about the ocean is exhilarating!

...No, I'm kidding. I had a long day, considering my life was turned upside down without warning. No biggie.

I really like this kid so far, though. He wasn't a jerk, like, at all. He was awkward, but awkward is so much easier to deal with than abusive, you know? Nick was really cute, too... I was finally understanding what it's like to get a crush on someone. I kind of had a crush on Ryan Gosling just from seeing his movies, but in real life, it was so much more overwhelming. Nick gave me butterflies in a good way, which was something I hadn't ever felt before, as I was never actually attracted to Adam or anything. My body would have its natural reactions to sex and kissing when I wasn't stressed, but it was nothing more than lust. So far, companionship was a really great feeling.

My new guy was really stiff in bed next to me, still uncomfortable after half an hour.

"Do you want me to help you fall asleep?" I asked softly. "Back at the... place, the guy I was with would have me run my fingers down his back, the sort of tickling thing, so he could relax. I haven't done anything for you so far, this is the least I can do."

"S-sure," he stuttered, rolling onto his stomach. I gently ran my nails along the back of his T-shirt, drawing lazy patterns, and he became noticeably less tense. I closed my eyes, enjoying his scent and warmth, wishing he would hold me... What has gotten into me?! I'm turning into one of those goddamn girls from chick flicks or whatever.

When his breathing evened out, I pulled my hand back and fell asleep myself. I hadn't slept that well in years.

* * *

Nick and Max woke up the next morning in each other's arms. They had done it in their sleep, but they both secretly wished that the other had done it on purpose.

Their instant mutual attraction might seem like the cliché "love at first sight" thing, but unfortunately, it wasn't. It was their knee-jerk reaction to potential true intimacy.

Max obviously hadn't experienced a sufficient amount of love of any kind in her life. She could remember her mother's gentle, caring touch and her father's warm bear hugs, but only vaguely. The other girls at the brothel were incredibly jealous of her, so she found it hard to make any true friends. A few of them were civil to her, but the supposed reasons she was above the other girls caused them to loathe her tremendously. It wasn't like she could help it, though, and she wisely prioritized her health and survival over her relationships with the other girls. Adam had claimed to love her, and he likely had in his own messed up way, but Max was still lacking any mutual endearment in her life for seven years.

Nick had experienced that kind of love more than Max had, but still at an insufficient level. His mother had loved him more than anything in the world, although he didn't remember or know that. Since her death when he was two, Rachel and Maria, the maids, had loved him like true mothers, yet their relationship could never quite be a mother/son one. Nick was technically their boss, and having that sort of position in a child's life just can't ever give quite the same feeling; the same vibe. No brotherly bond ever existed between Nick and Dylan, really, as they were polar opposites to the point that they just could not get along. Dylan was already deep in the family business and enjoying every minute of it; he spent all of his profits on hard drugs, sex, and over the top luxury like the flashy Bugatti he never drove and the multi-course meals he'd have flown in from Paris on an ordinary day if he got bored. At least their father only bought things that he truly wanted and made anonymous donations to charity. Even with how shitty of a person he could be sometimes, Nick had to acknowledge that there was still some integrity left in him.

His best friends Ella, Iggy, and Nudge did truly love him, but they were really busy with schoolwork and getting ready for college. Nick honestly wanted to go to college, but couldn't really think about that at the moment. Homeschooling doesn't look that amazing on a college application, and if he were anywhere but an Ivy League or a school of an equivalent level, he'd be the laughingstock of his family. It was in his best interest to consider going a few years after high school if he chose that path. His friends encouraged him to go with them; they were planning on all going to universities that were near each other, wherever that may be, but he always had to turn them down. They still came to visit him every few weeks, but they seemed more and more detached as they got distracted by their big life plans. And that made Nick really sad.

Max and Nick became instantly attached to each other; instantly needing each other. They were desperate for the kind of connection that they were never fortunate enough to have before.

They were lucky that they felt the same way about each other, because otherwise they'd be considered clingy.

They'd probably fall in true love eventually. They were just unhealthily needy at the moment and would grow out of it soon enough. This is the story of two people who were fucked over by no fault of their own, and this is the story of how they saved each other.

LINE

Waking up with a cute girl snuggled up to you is pretty cool. Just thought I'd let you know.

I got up at eight thirty and showered, and by the time I was done getting ready at nine, Max was waking up.

"Good morning," I greeted her with a small smile. "You hungry?"

"Yeah, I am," she mumbled back. "Morning."

"What do you want to eat?"

"You're really letting me choose?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah, of course." I shrugged. "Maria will make it for us. She's an awesome cook. She's like a mom to me."

She stared at me for a minute. "I don't know. Can you choose for me? Please?"

I smirked. "Do you like pancakes?"

"Ooh, yeah, I haven't had those since I was little," she answered.

What kind of a place doesn't let her eat pancakes for all those years? Cruelty.

"Okay, do you want plain, or blueberry, or chocolate chip, or what?"

Her eyes widened. "Chocolate chiiiiiiip," she practically moaned.

I laughed at that one. "Go shower and get dressed and stuff, 'kay? We're gonna go shopping today for you."

She managed to drag herself out of bed and asked for a towel. I gave her a toothbrush, too, and she went into the bathroom.

I walked downstairs to find Maria in the kitchen. "Good morning," I said.

"Oh, good morning, honey." She kissed me on the cheek. "Are you and Max hungry?"

"Yeah, we decided on chocolate chip pancakes. She said she hasn't had them since she was little."

"What!? I'll get those started," she replied.

I thanked her and gave her a smile. We were chatting about some story that had been on the local news that morning when Max came in.

"Those smell SO good," she announced. "Hi, I'm Max."

"I'm Maria, sweetie; it's great to meet you." she replied, open and warm.

Only a minute passed before the pancakes were in front of us. Maria had cut up some fruit for us and given us water and orange juice. She really likes to spoil me sometimes, kind of like a grandmother or aunt. Not exactly like a mom.

Max's eyes practically rolled back into her head when she tasted the pancakes. The little groan of approval she let out was pretty hot, but I tried to ignore that.

"These are amaaaaaaazing," she drawled. "Oh, my God. Can we eat these, like, forever?"

Maria laughed. "Anytime, honey."

Max ate four huge pancakes before she surrendered. She was excited to go shopping; I imagine she hadn't done it since she was little. I asked Ella to come along with us since she's the fashionista, so we met her at the mall.

"FANG!" Ella cried when she spotted us. She sprinted up and gave me a hug. "I miss you so much! Oh, you must be Max! I've been super excited to meet you. I'm Ella!"

"Hi," Max replied shyly, then turned to me. "What does 'fang' mean?"

"He had this really weird biting phase when we were little, like he thought he was a vamp–"

"Okay, Ella, that's enough," I interrupted, embarrassed. "It just stuck from when I was a kid. Let's just leave it at that."

Max smirked at me in response. Damn her and her cute little smirk.

"Okay, we should go to Forever 21, Max. They're really reasonable and they have so much stuff to choose from," Ella suggested. Max just shrugged, so off we went.

* * *

**MAX POV**

This Ella girl was really nice. I decided I liked her, even though she made me try on a thousand outfits.

At Forever 21, I got a few sheer button down shirts, two plaid button downs, some tank tops that showed a little bit of my stomach, and a bunch of other stuff that I don't really know the name for or care to explain. Ella informed me that I should get jeans and tank tops at the Abercrombie & Fitch outlet, but no shirts or jackets that had "Abercrombie" printed across the front, because that wasn't stylish. The jeans there are really nice and they'd be reasonably priced at the outlet (although I'm not sure that Fang really had a budget in mind anyway) and the tank tops would be super cheap, comfortable, and cute. According to Ella.

**(A/N: idk about you guys but I got over my abercrombie phase in middle school but i still like going to the outlet because it really is super cheap. you can literally get the layering tanks for like five or ten bucks and they're the super nice ones with the like one inch straps, you know? and the jeans are soooo much cheaper and ahh i haven't been in a while but I love it. and there really is this huge mall sorta near me in Milpitas that has an A&F outlet, a hollister outlet, a Neiman marcus outlet, and a GIGANTIC forever 21 along with tons of other stores. nothing beats the F21 in times square though. Five fucking stories underground. I'm getting really distracted here. I'm sorry you just had to read that.)**

After getting a few pairs of Vans and some flats, we were pretty wiped and stopped for a late lunch at some big awesome restaurant where they make their own sodas. IT WAS SO GOOD. That was the highlight of the trip for me... That and Nick's reaction to Ella dragging me into Victoria's Secret without any warning. Ella even had me get some little body spray things from there that smelled really good. I've decided I kind of like shopping.

Ella came home with us, and Nick called his friends Iggy and Nudge to come over, too. It appeared that he had already explained our situation to everyone, because nobody asked me who the hell I was and why the hell I was at Nick's house. That was totally fine with me, though, since I didn't really feel like telling my life story to a bunch of strangers. I hadn't really even told Nick yet, to be honest.

"FANG!" Nudge yelled when he opened the front door. She jumped onto him and chatted his head off, but I couldn't really understand what she was saying. Iggy greeted Nick with a quick "hey, man" and gave him a friendly slap on the back.

"Am I the only one who calls you Nick?" I asked.

Fang smirked at me. He had such a fucking hot smirk. "No, you're not, but you should call me Fang. All my friends do."

"I'll try to remember that," I murmured.

Iggy was really nice and funny. I could see why Ella was totally in love with him, even though they aren't together or anything. I can just tell by the way she looks at him. Nudge was really sweet, too, but she talked a bit much for my liking. Luckily, she didn't seem to require responses from me; she could go on and on about something for five minutes before I needed to reply.

The days started passing by faster and faster, turning into weeks and the start of a new month: May. I really did feel at home with Fang. He was nothing but kind to me, even though I figured I could be a pain in the ass at times. He had to explain, like _everything _to me. Hey, I couldn't help being out of the loop; I was locked away from society for years!

We didn't go out a ton as there was plenty to do at the house, but there were a few special days. He took me to the movies twice, which was really awesome but had really addicting popcorn. Fang eventually had to limit my popcorn privileges so I didn't puke. There were a couple of other days that we went to a small, quiet strip of beach that wasn't easily accessible from the road (it was a really long walk). Ella and Nudge had taken me back to the mall when they realized I didn't have any bathing suits. I didn't even know how to swim! The sun was super nice to relax in, though, and I had gotten a serious tan. Fang and I would have splashing wars and sometimes just lay there together, enjoying just the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore. I never knew life could be this good, I never knew that anyone could be this happy, and I never knew that falling in love would feel like this.

**Thank you so much for all your feedback! I don't really like the idea of replying to reviews in author's notes, so if you're not signed in, I'm not gonna reply unless you say something really profound. Sorry :-( I do appreciate those reviews just as much, though! Thank you so much either way.**

**I'm realllllllly bad at pacing stories correctly. As you probably noticed in my other ones. If you have any suggestions for fluffy scenes (or any plot ideas, really) you should totally tell me! I already have lots of stuff in mind, but I really want your opinions, too. **

**Please review! :-) **


	3. Chapter 3

**61 REVIEWS? 61 FOLLOWS? 32 FAVORITES? 2 CHAPTERS?**

**I would smile so much every time I got a review! You guys are the sweetest! Thank you so much for inspiring me!**

**Just over 3K words, comin' right up!**

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**Chapter 3**

_I cowered in the corner of the dank room I was in, feeling lost, terrified, and confused. Why was I here? What did these people want?_

_I jumped and looked up when I heard the door creak open, seeing a tall male figure in the doorway. _

_"Well, hello, little girl," the man drawled in a haunting tone, approaching me. I shook and hugged my knees to my chest. I was so helpless and small._

_I yelped as he yanked me by the hair and threw me to the middle of the room. He leered at me as he approached and undid his buckle. What?_

_"Get on your bed," he commanded, gesturing to the shoddy cot I was leaning on. I followed orders as he unzipped his pants. I had never seen a boy without pants that wasn't a baby, so I was honestly a bit intrigued, but I wasn't sure why he was talking them off. _

_His penis stood at attention, unlike the ones in the diagrams in our science books at school. I wondered if there was something wrong with it, but then I vaguely remembered something about what happened to it during sex. But this wasn't sex... Was it?_

_When he told me to put it in my mouth, I was nauseated... This was so, so wrong, I just knew it. _

_I learned quickly that I should do whatever he says if I wanted to keep myself safe. He backhanded me and then roughly forced it down my throat, making me sob and choke, over and over again. I couldn't breathe, and it hurt so badly, and I felt filthy, and I would've done anything to get out of the situation. That was the first time in my life that death actually seemed like a better option._

_In the moment, I couldn't really focus on anything besides breathing and all the pain, but there was still a trace of confusion in there. I didn't remember everything from sex ed, but I was sure that this wasn't in any of the books. It couldn't be sex. That wasn't how sex worked._

_At some point, to my relief, the man decided that he'd had enough. I collapsed and gasped for breath; I had been about to pass out when he pulled out._

_Then, he ripped my clothes off. Was this sex? No... It was scary, and I hated it, and I was haunted by it for the rest of my life, but it wasn't sex. You didn't use your hands or mouth in sex. All of the weird ways he was touching me weren't part of sex. So, what was this?_

_I knew it had turned into sex when he entered me with no warning. I screamed at the top of my lungs and cried harder than I ever had, having never experienced such and intense, deep pain in my life. The pain didn't lessen over time, it was just as painful each time he pounded into me. He pulled out, and I thought he was done, but then he put it in my –_

"MAX! Max, oh, my God, wake up!" Fang was shaking me and yelling in my face. It took me to notice the layer of sweat covering my body, my heavy, loud breathing, and the tears still pouring out of my eyes. Shit.

Fang held my quivering body, murmuring to me and doing his best to calm me down. He reminded me of my mother, not in a weird way, but because she was the last person to hold me like this. I was overwhelmingly attached to Fang, and I wanted nothing more than to be with him always. I loved him so much.

After a few minutes, when my breathing went back to normal, he asked quietly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

No, not particularly, but I figured that I should. "I dreamed about the first time they raped me... I do every once and a while. I was nine the first time, I think, and I didn't even understand what was happening... It just hurt so much and it was so scary..."

Fang kissed my head and whispered, "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I won't let them hurt you anymore. I won't hurt you, either."

Such simple words meant the world to me. I nuzzled his neck in appreciation as I clung to him.

"Don't ever think it's your fault, okay? You didn't deserve any of the shitty stuff that's happened to you. It's so unfair and wrong and it makes me so angry. You're my best friend, Max, and I love you, and I wish I could make it all better... I'm trying. I really want you to be happy, sweetie."

I gave him a big smile, tearing up a bit. I knew he meant that he loved me as a friend, but no one had ever loved me like that before. No one had ever called me their best friend — not since elementary school, at least. I still couldn't believe that someone cared about me so much.

"I love you, too, Fang. And you're obviously my best friend," I laughed.

He squeezed me and chuckled. "Good."

After a few more minutes of just being in his arms, I glanced at the clock. Six in the morning. Damn.

"Sorry for waking you up so early," I apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Do you wanna go back to sleep or get up?"

"Go back to sleep," I answered, pulling him down to lay with me. He held me just like he always did, and I wondered, _Are we really just best friends?_

Whatever. I'd never felt so blissful and carefree, and that's all I was gonna think about.

* * *

Max has only been here for two months now, but I can't imagine life without her. I'm such a creeper.

Anyway, things were going just fine... Until Dylan visited.

Max and I were snuggled on the couch when the front door swung open. I was startled; my dad wasn't supposed to be home for a few more days...

"What's up, little bro? Still a virgin?" he sneered, embarrassing the hell out of me. Dylan sauntered into the room, looking Max and I over. "Oh, wait, Dad told me he got you a little fuck buddy. How's that going?"

My fists clenched in anger. He was talking about her like she wasn't even there. "Why the fuck are you here, Dylan?"

"What, I can't come visit my own brother?" he asked, exaggerating his faux incredulity.

I rolled my eyes. "What do you want?" I ground out.

He ignored my question and sat down next to us, way too close. He stared right at Max, trying and succeeding to make her uncomfortable. "Hey, baby, what's your name?" he drawled.

"Leave her alone. I mean it, Dylan."

"You're acting like you care about her or something. You're just being possessive of your property; aren't you, little man?" he cooed, pinching my cheek.

I smacked his hand away angrily. "Shut up."

"I like her," he announced. "Why don't we fuck her together for some good brotherly bonding time? She's fucking hot."

That was it. I shot him an icy glare and pulled Max off the couch with me, heading upstairs.

"Whatever, man," he snickered.

I shut my bedroom door behind me and locked it as I fumed. Max sat on my bed awkwardly.

"I'm sorry about him... He'll do anything to make me upset. I'm not going to tell him that I treat you like my slave, but I'm not going to tell him I care about you, either, because then he'll try to hurt you for sure."

"Yeah, of course. I understand."

"If he does anything to you, make sure to tell me, okay?"

She nodded.

"Let's get out of here. Fuck it. Let's go on a trip. Let's go to fucking Disneyland. Maybe by the time we get back, he'll be gone," I suggested.

Her eyes widened. "Disneyland?"

"Sure, sweetie. We can go somewhere else if you want, though."

"No, no, Disneyland sounds amazing. I've never been. Oh, my god. Disneyland!" she exclaimed. I grinned.

"Start getting some clothes together to pack. I'm going to see if I can get us a hotel reservation." She squealed and threw her arms around my neck, happier than I'd ever seen her. I couldn't help but smile.

I looked online at the hotels and booked us a nice room for today at one of the Disney hotels. Don't worry; I have a fake ID and a credit card and I look older than I really am.

When I finished up with that, I went back into my room and saw that Max had chosen her clothes and seemed really antsy. She's so adorable.

"Here," I said, handing her a suitcase from my closet. I got one down for myself and threw in a bunch of clothes and toiletries.

We were ready. "Okay, so it's only ten. It'll take us an hour and a half to get there, or two hours if traffic really sucks. Once we check in and everything we'll be right on time for lunch."

"Well, let's go, then!" she cried, dragging her suitcase out as fast as she could.

The car ride was nice. Max was extremely excited and kept asking me questions about everything there was to do.

"I haven't been there in a really long time, Max. It should be pretty much the same, but I have no idea if they've kept everything exactly the same," I chuckled.

When we hit some especially bad traffic, I groaned and threw my head back. I was so not in the mood... I couldn't wait to see Max having so much fun.

I felt her hand grip my forearm gently and her thumb run back and forth over my skin. I couldn't help but relax (read: melt) under her touch. She was giving me the cutest soft smile. And when she slid her hand down to meet mine, and our fingers intertwined, I was intoxicated by how electric it felt.

I wanted to kiss her so badly. I decided then that I would kiss her at some point during our trip.

Max was practically jumping up and down in her seat as I pulled up to a chipper attendant and told her the name I had placed the reservation under, and when we finally made it to the front desk and then our room, she was absolutely ecstatic.

"Thank you, Fang! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" she screamed, leaping into my arms.

"Do you like it here?" I asked, smirking.

"YES! I love it! It's, like... Magical. I don't know how to explain it. It's like a fairy tale."

"I know what you mean," I replied, then kissed her head.

Downstairs in the hotel, there was a huge, awesome buffet set up already. It did look pretty awesome, to be honest, and Max was pretty much drooling. Five thousand calories later, we were ready to hit the park.

While in line for the Peter Pan ride, I noticed Max watching the family in front of us: a mother, father, and two little girls. They were all smiling and laughing; it was like they came out of a Disneyland commercial. Max leaned on my shoulder as a soft smile crept onto her face, and softly told me, "They remind me of my family. Me, my parents, and my little sister Angel... We were so happy. I miss them so much."

I pulled her closer to me and held her. Poor baby. "I know, sweetie, I know."

That got me thinking... Where was her family? Surely they want her back. Surely they miss her just as much as she misses them. Because it's a sensitive topic, I didn't bring it up, but I knew I would be later after I did a bit of research.

She'd have to leave if we found her parents, though. As much as I want the best for her, she's the first really great thing I've ever had in my life, and I'm not sure if I'd be able to let go of her.

* * *

You know what's ironic?

I'm so whipped. By the girl who's supposed to be my sex slave.

Like right now, I'm wearing Mickey Mouse ears, and I'm in line for the huge Ferris wheel. I've never liked Ferris wheels; I've always thought they were a waste of time to stand in line for, but Max wanted to, just like she wanted us to wear mouse ears together.

She looked adorable in her Minnie Mouse ears as she licked her ice cream cone, smiling up at me when she noticed me staring. We were holding hands, just like we'd been all day.

It was our fourth day here, and we were both loving it so far. It feels so different with my girlfriend from when it did with my crazy brother and father ten years ago. Max was scared of the big roller coasters, so we just went on some of the classic, more low-key rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, and Splash Mountain. She was having so much fun, and it was making me so goddamn happy.

The way her eyes shined as she watched the fireworks, the way she giggled hysterically at the end of a ride, the way she was so wiped out at the end of the day and collapsed in our bed... I was in love with all of it. Whenever she let go of me, I missed her touch, and I had this stupid urge to just hold her all the time. And to kiss her.

Kiss her... The either best or worst place to kiss her would be at the top of the Ferris wheel. The sun was starting to set, and I knew the scenery up there would be gorgeous, and we'd be alone, so I knew it was plenty romantic. However, if she didn't like me back, the painfully slow ride back down would be really fucking awkward.

I was so lost in thought that I hadn't noticed that we were at the front of the line. When we sat down on the ride, I wrapped my arm around Max and she snuggled against me. I bet she likes me.

But how the fuck would I know? I haven't had any experience with girls.

"It's so pretty," Max said softly. And it was.

I decided to take a risk. "You're prettier."

I know... Cheesy as hell, right? She glanced at me quickly before blushing and remaining quiet.

The ride was peaceful. Well, to everyone else it probably was; I was busy internally freaking out over whether or not to kiss her. When the ride slowed down, they were letting people off, and we were nearing the top, I made my move.

I turned to her, and our faces were inches apart, and her lips were practically begging to be kissed.

I brought a hand to her beautiful face and stroked her cheek gently. After taking a moment to build up some more courage, I kissed her.

Three kisses. Three soft, slow, sweet kisses. Three gentle, loving, warm kisses. Three perfect kisses with a perfect girl.

Max's lips were soft and smooth and warm and intoxicating. The first kiss was a bit tentative, but still sweet and butterfly-inducing. The second kiss was confident, sending tingles of electricity down my spine. The third was deepened and more passionate. And I wanted to do this forever.

That was probably the best thirty seconds of my life so far. When I opened my eyes, I saw that her face was glowing, and that's when I knew that we were gonna go somewhere. Maybe we wouldn't get married, but we were gonna be a big deal. There was really no explainable reason why I gathered that from her expression; I just did. I cared more about this girl than I'd ever cared about anyone or anything, and I could see that it was mutual in her eyes. I'm usually so unconfident, but not right then. I knew.

Max gave me a small, shy smile and I squeezed her hand in response.

We didn't kiss again for the rest of the trip, but the dynamic had changed subtly, and I was flirting with her a bit more and feeling more confident.

I'd always had confidence issues, probably because of Dylan and my dad. I was always a geek compared to Dylan, as I enjoyed reading and writing, and they tormented me for it constantly. It didn't take me long to learn to hide my books in my room and read after dark or when I was alone. I enjoyed sports and physical, "masculine" activity, and I was good at them; but I like to think that I just didn't end up as shallow as they did, and that's why I like what they consider to be nerdy stuff. Depending on their moods/sobriety levels, sometimes they'd just go on and on about how I sucked so bad and was a "useless little faggot"...

I wasn't going to let them affect me anymore, though. Why the hell should I care about their opinions?

Max and I came back home to find Dylan still there. I wanted to punch something.

"Hey, lil bro!" he exclaimed, clapping my back. "How was your little vacation! I bet you fucked her real good, man."

I stiffened. "Shut up, Dylan."

"What? I'm jealous of you, man. Out of all the girls I've ever had, none have been as hot as this one. I really wanna bone her," he explained.

"Well, too bad," I dismissed him and tried to walk around him, but he walked in front of me.

"You know that if you don't share her, I'm gonna tell Dad, and then he's gonna yell at you when he comes home, and then he'll wanna fuck her, too," he warned angrily.

"I'll take my chances," I replied sarcastically, guiding Max upstairs with me.

* * *

**Meh. I dunno about this. Thank you for all the ideas you've submitted! I'm definitely incorporating some of them! Keep 'em coming! Like, if you were me, what would you have happen next chapter!**

**Thanks so much! Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Can I just say that you guys are the best?**

**I come back after two and a half months at a therapeutic wilderness program (technically it was horticultural therapy, I digress), check my email, and find forty billion angry messages about how I need to update and how awesome this story and concept are. **

**I had no phone/computer/internet. It was actually a really cool experience to unplug for that long; it was so interesting to not be able to pick up my phone every second I was unoccupied. I don't consider FF to be the same kind of internet usage as Facebook/tumblr/twitter/etc., so I'm not severing from it by any means, but my social network usage has dropped to close to nothing. I learned a hell of a lot about gardening, Hawaiian culture (yes, I'm so lucky that I got to go to the freakin' Big Island instead of Utah or some shit), and myself. **

**My depression and self-hate are completely gone. My anxiety is minimal. I'm genuinely happy now. Everyone has made remarks about how there's a life in me they haven't seen in years. I'm a new person.**

**If any of you struggle with depression or anxiety, I'm always here to talk. I feel a million years wiser after my experience this summer. I'm a true success story when it comes to this stuff: last summer I was truly at rock bottom, now I'm better than I've ever been. **

**Thank you so much for all of your support and encouragement. It really means the world to me.**

* * *

Now, my life has been a little different from yours, so let me know if this is as awesome as I'm guessing. I'm laying under the moon and stars, my back on the still-warm sand. There's a little fire burning a few feet away, snapping, popping, and creating a smoky aroma. I can hear the waves lapping up gently on shore... And best of all, there's the sweetest, sexiest boy laying on top of me, kissing me passionately (and I'm kissing him back). To be honest, at this point I couldn't care less where we were, but I thought I'd include how romantic the scene was.

Mmm... Making out with someone who cares about you is so different from doing it with someone who doesn't. Every touch was loving, gentle, and perfect. My affection for Fang was stronger than I'd had for anyone; he made me feel so warm and happy... According to Ella, I was "falling for him." I loved it when he held me, or kissed me on the cheek, or rubbed my back, but I also had a more sexual attraction to him that I'd never had with the men I'd been forced with over the years. It felt crazy amazing when he licked my lip, or sucked on my neck, or bit my collarbone. We slowed down and eventually were just snuggling for a while when Fang asked, "Wanna go in the water?"

I said yes. I couldn't remember ever having gone to the beach when I was young, although I probably had been, so as far as I knew, I'd never actually waded in the ocean. The times I'd been to the beach with Fang before, I'd been afraid to go more than knee deep, but this time, he encouraged me to go in further with him. I did, even though the water was pretty cold, because it was so awesome and beautiful outside. We stopped when our shoulders were covered, and he knew to hold me and make me feel safe before I even asked.

"Do you ever think about your family?" he asked.

"Yeah; now that I'm back in the real world, I do. I kinda blocked out any thoughts of home when I was living with Adam, but now that I'm here, I wonder where they are and who my baby sister is growing up to be. I wonder how much they think about me and stuff, you know?" I explained.

He nodded in understanding. "We'll find them."

It hadn't even crossed my mind to actually search for them. I'd assumed that they were long-lost and basically gone forever, but maybe not...

"I want to have a real family so badly. I wish I'd gotten the opportunity to really know my mother. She was so different from my brother and father; so kind and loving... She did volunteer work and gave so much time and money to others while always making sure she had enough time to take care of her family. My grandparents always told me about her," Fang said wistfully.

I had no idea what to say, so after a few moments, I settled on telling him I was sorry and kissing him on the cheek. It was quiet and peaceful for a few minutes as Fang and I looked at the moon and dreamed of our mothers.

* * *

All of the self confidence I'd gained since I met Fang vanished when I met Brigid. She was new at Ella's school, and they'd become friends recently, so Ella thought she'd bring her along when she hung out with Fang and I. We were at Red Robin, and she didn't order anything, claiming to not be hungry. I got a cheeseburger with fries. She flirted with Fang a _ton_ and made subtle, demeaning gestures (like rolling her eyes) whenever I spoke. She kept looking me up and down as if she couldn't believe how ridiculous I looked.

I was so incredibly jealous of her. The way she'd touch his arm or giggle hysterically whenever he cracked a joke... If there's one thing I suck at, it's flirting. I know how to seduce a guy, but I could never make one fall for me. He was captivated by everything she did, and it made my heart sink.

"I want to go to UC Berkeley to study environmental science. I care so much about the environment, I'm so passionate about it, so I want to get a career in saving it, you know? After I did a summer program in Costa Rica, I knew it was my calling. Being able to save baby sea turtles is pretty powerful," Brigid raved.

That was the school my father went to; I knew it was a really good one. My dad and I used to go to football and basketball games there all the time.

Fang smiled at her and seemed genuinely interested. I remembered what he'd said the other night about his mother volunteering. "That's cool, wanting your job to make a difference in the world. Like, instead of being in real estate or something," he agreed. It was true, but I still thought she was a bitch. Then I thought about myself... I was sixteen and hadn't even started middle school. There was no way I'd ever be smart enough to do big things like that. I was good at seducing older men and at various aspects of sex; I wasn't even personable or anything... I was nothing.

As Brigid and Ella started chatting about some kids we didn't know, Fang nudged me with his foot under the table. "You okay?"he mouthed.

I nodded and said, "My dad went to that school," quietly.

"Cal?" he confirmed.

I nodded and told him how we used to go to the sports games there. He seemed to understand why that would make me act distant, even though it wasn't the real reason why.

When we got home that day, I expected that we'd be alone, but the girls came with us. Brigid sat _real_ close to Fang on the couch and told him how funny he was and how great his hair was as she touched it. I wanted to scream. Ella was actually starting to look irritated; thank God.

"I'll be right back," Fang said as he stood up and headed to the bathroom.

"Ella, he is so hot! And nice! He'd be, like, amazing in bed, don't you think?!" Brigid whisper-screamed.

"Ew, no, he's like my brother. I wouldn't know, and if anyone were to know, it'd be Max," Ella replied.

Brigid laughed right at me. "Uhh, right. Yeah," she snorted dismissively.

"Why do you say that?" My voice took an icy tone.

"You? Really? I mean, no offense, but I know what guys like him like, and you're just..."

"Brigid," Ella groaned.

The way those words physically affected me sucked. I felt anger, shame, and humiliation churning in my chest and stomach. I wanted to die.

"Yeah, I'm kind of tired, I think I'm gonna go lay down," I announced, standing up.

"Need anything?" Fang asked, seeming concerned. He'd just walked back into the room as I was speaking. I told him I didn't and that I was fine.

When I got upstairs, I went to the bathroom and just stared at myself with my shirt off. My boobs were a little bigger than hers, but less perky. My stomach wasn't as flat as hers. My arms weren't as skinny. My legs were so much thicker. I felt so ugly and sloppy compared to her... I put in no effort whatsoever into my appearance, and it showed. I'd gained weight since moving in with him, and I didn't wear makeup. Ugly, ugly, ugly. Repulsive. Disgusting.

Who had I turned into? The old me never would've let myself go like this. Just because Fang wouldn't hurt me didn't mean that I shouldn't do anything for him. He was probably disgusted by me, and he'd be even more disgusted by my self-pity.

Brigid was totally right. I'd gotten defensive, but her words hit me hard because I knew it was true. Fang was attractive and wealthy; a pathetic, fat, stupid whore certainly wasn't his "type."

I should've remembered how self-pity made me weak, and therefore vulnerable. That was one of the most important things I learned back when I was living with Adam and other men would take interest in me when I was all alone.

* * *

**Uggghhhfjkdlfad I didn't like that at all. Next chapter will be more interesting. I promise. More actual close Fax moments. The ones in this chapter were kinda bullshit.**

**Go read ****_Catch and Release_**** by Fallen Ark Angel (and its sequel, Awake). Phenomenal writing. Favorite author. Not only is the plot fantastic, but her general writing style and foreshadowing and character development and fklsa;dka;dlfd;aldjflsd she's my FF crush basically**

**I'd never bawled my eyes out because of a story's ending until I read ****_Catch and Release_****. If someone can elicit those kinds of emotions from you, they're a damn good writer. So I figure you're about to go read that now lol - /s/9030213**

**I LOVE Y'ALL WITH MY WHOLE GOD DAMN HEART OKAY PM ME ANYTIME!**


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